Early heart-health support for mothers and young children in Northern Appalachia
Early Intervention to Promote Cardiovascular Health of Mothers and Children in Northern Appalachia
This project will add a heart-health program to routine home visits to help pregnant women and their babies stay healthier during pregnancy and the first two years after birth.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Pennsylvania State Univ Hershey Med Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Hershey, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11128770 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You'll be offered extra heart-health support as part of regular home visits during pregnancy and through your child's first two years. Nurses will deliver practical coaching on nutrition, activity, smoking reduction, and healthy infant growth while linking with local clinics' medical records. The program will be compared to standard home-visiting services across several sites using a cluster-randomized design, and the team will pilot and refine the approach locally before expanding. The goal is to make the intervention ready to use in real-world home-visiting programs.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Pregnant women living in Northern Appalachia who are enrolled in the partner Nurse-Family Partnership home-visiting programs, and their infants followed through age two, are the intended participants.
Not a fit: People who do not live in the targeted Northern Appalachian region or who are not enrolled in the partner home-visiting programs, as well as children older than two years, would not be eligible and are unlikely to benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could lower early-life risk factors like unhealthy weight and tobacco exposure and improve long-term heart health for both mothers and children.
How similar studies have performed: Home-visiting and behavioral programs have shown promise for preventing early childhood obesity and improving maternal behaviors, but testing this specific cardiovascular-focused add-on in a cluster-randomized, implementation-ready trial is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
Hershey, United States
- Pennsylvania State Univ Hershey Med Ctr — Hershey, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Paul, Ian M — Pennsylvania State Univ Hershey Med Ctr
- Study coordinator: Paul, Ian M
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.